Page 3 - EAI-4_2015_9_11
P. 3
Marcello Peronaci, Roberto Luciani
ENEA, Sustainable Territorial and Production Systems Department
Anthropic pressures on Egadi Islands
The Egadi Islands are three main islands of holiday accomodations). Nevertheless,
off the western coast of Sicily, close to particularly in the case of Favignana,which
Trapani and Marsala: Favignana, Levanzo is the most populous island and very close
and Marettimo. There are also two minor to the coast, such activities have led to a
islands, Formica and Maraone, lying strong anthropic pressure concentrated in
between Levanzo and Sicily. Favignana a few months of the year (summer) on the
and Levanzo are closest to the coast (16 one hand, and a reduction of the resident
and 13 km), whereas Marettimo is located population during the winter months on
24 kilometers far from it. the other.
The largest island in the archipelago is These two negative phenomena are
Favignana, with a land area of 19.8 square strictly interconnected and should
kilometres. therefore be contrasted with appropriate
The Egadi Islands,like most Mediterranean policies aimed at the seasonal adjustment
islets, have radically changed the of tourist flows.
traditional lifestyle and the economic
development model, based for centuries Use and occupation
on the almost self-sufficient resources and of the territory - The depopulation
production activities, mostly related to the Land use in the three major islands of the
sea (fishing and fish processing) and to Egadi archipelago is different. Favignana
the land. is the most populated island, hosting
During the second half of the 1900s, the largest number of resident people
the development of transport radically (about 75%) and tourists, where most of
transformed this model to make smaller the productive activities in the area take
islands, at least those closest to the place.
coast, more tightly interconnected and For this reason, unlike Levanzo and
dependent on the mainland. This change Marettimo – where settlements have
is both in terms of material resources, largely developed within the historic
now mostly coming from the outside, and center – Favignanahasrecentlydeveloped
of human resources. In fact, this situation tourist resorts (e.g., holiday homes,
has given rise to daily and seasonal accommodation, villages/camping areas),
commuting to and from the islands that is being its historical settlements located
likely to contribute to the depopulation in outside the historic center and mainly
wintertime, with a serious impact on the linked to mining and farming activities.
care of the land. The depopulation of marginal areas, and
From the economic point of view, however, of small islands in particular, is one of
instead of the traditional activities tourism the most important issues also from the
has been increasingly developing an environmental point of view. Actually, the
so have all the activities associated to it population drain leads to the degradation
(e.g., the construction and maintenance of territories and the loss of their cultural
9EAI Energia, Ambiente e Innovazione 4/2015
